


California Dreamin’

by pinque



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:40:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23872510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinque/pseuds/pinque
Summary: “I love you,” he says to Tony. Forever, always, with my entire being, he doesn’t say, he hopes he’s gotten his message across, though.(Or, a surprise date.)
Relationships: Happy Hogan & Pepper Potts & James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Tony Stark, Pepper Potts & Tony Stark
Comments: 11
Kudos: 36





	California Dreamin’

**Author's Note:**

> basically this fic is an au(?) if you can call t that- imagine the entire franchise but with rhodeytony. tales place after endgame

Jim wakes up to a pair of warm lips pressing against his own. He grunts in response and hears a chuckle near his face that sounds like

“Hey, heartbreaker,” the voice cooes, lips giving Jim’s cheek, temple, and forehead a kiss. _Tony_.

His eyes stick together and he grunts. Tony always told him that it took forever to wake him up. He can’t stop the spasm his body has as Tony pats on his chest.

“You’re alright,” Tony says, “‘S just me, you’re fine.” 

He opens his eyes, meeting Tony’s gaze, he’s smiling, Jim feels his own lips twitch in response. 

“Hey,” he says softly, unable to fight the tingly feeling washing over his body, spreading through his bones, he can’t fight it when he’s looking at Tony. Jim shifts his gaze towards their window, it was getting dark, and over breakfast that morning Tony told him that he had a surprise for him that afternoon and apparently it’s time to go, he asks anyway. Tony moves from hanging over him with a smile, “Yep— dress cozy. But nice. Casual formal?” He trails off, rushing to their closet. Moments later, he throws a purple dress shirt in Jim’s direction, it hits his chest.

“Oh! With the purple, wear this.” A dark pair of jeans follow. _Fancy_ , Jim thinks. 

He changes his clothes while Tony flits around the room, in the closet, to the bathroom, once even running out of the door and returning minutes later. There’s a nervous energy surrounding Tony, Jim doesn’t really know why. They both get dressed quickly, so afterwards he catches Tony’s attention, holding onto his arms, rubbing his biceps, he asks what’s wrong. 

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Tony says, he laughs, “Come on, chop-chop, you’re gonna love this.” He pulls Jim to the elevator and presses the button for the base floor, where the cars were. 

“Will I?” Jim says, tone dry, “Is this another one of your _special_ surprises, Tones? I don’t think I can handle another rose statue built to _appreciate my essence,_ as you put it last time, it took me a month to get over my sinus infection, remember?” 

Tony blows a raspberry, “ _No_ , no it’s not like that, you’ll like it,” his tone is confident but there’s something in Tony’s expression that he catches when they look at one another that tells Jim otherwise. He’s anxious about this, it’s important. Jim decides to put Tony’s nerves at ease. 

“Hey, I’m teasing you. I’ll love it. It’s from you.” 

They reach the floor as he says it. Tony looks at him, cheeks slightly pink, “Yeah?” 

“Always.” They share a warm look, and Tony pulls him in for a kiss which lasts until a phone chimes, and Tony twitches back with a soft sigh. _“_ Okay, the surprise! Let’s not-let’s not get sidetracked,” he pulls a blindfold seemingly out of nowhere and gives Jim a questioning look and with a nod, Tony has wrapped the blindfold around his eyes. 

Tony leads him to a passenger seat, and as soon as he gets in and starts the car, Jim hears a very familiar rumble, he feels it right in his bones. It’s Jim’s favorite car, an old birthday present customized by Tony. He feels like he’s back in college again— Tony convincing him with one of his dad’s sports cars to spend spring break with him, then speeding through the roads and air hitting their faces, Jim felt like he was flying. 

Tony always made him feel like that. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


The scent of saltwater hits his nose stronger than it does when they’re sitting on the balcony at the Mansion so he knows where they are instantly. Jim is not wearing anything for water–neither was Tony, but that’s never really stopped either them before– so he wonders what they’re there for when Tony tells him to take off his shoes. When he’s finished, he hears Tony open his passenger side and feels a rough hand grab his own. They walk through the sand until Jim is standing on a soft cloth, A blanket? And Tony holds his shoulders and turns his body the opposite way, Jim hears rustling behind him until Tony says, “Okay, ready.” 

Jim takes the blindfold off, seeing only the ocean until he glances near his feet and spots a giant picnic basket and some candles surrounding it in the shape of a heart. He feels his chest flood with warmth at the display, he turns to face Tony with a smile, “Aw, Tones, this is—“ He stops.

_Oh._

Tony was kneeling. 

  
  


Tony was kneeling with a box in his hands and a determined but nervous look on his face, eyes wide, lips pressed together. “Oh,” he says weakly, after an eternity staring into Tony’s eyes. 

“I wish I had done this sooner,” Tony says, “I wish I had done this years ago.” He cleared his throat, his eyes were wet. “There are obviously a lot of things that I’ve thought about doing differently. But I’m a futurist, I’m _the_ Futurist. And I know that all we have is what’s in front of us. I want to share everything with you during whatever’s coming. We deserve this. 

“James Rhodes, Rhodey. Platypus. I think I’ve been in love with you all my life. Ever since I met you. I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll love you forever. I know, I remember I’ve said that we didn’t need it, but I want that. I want us to tie the knot. Let’s get hitched. How about that—“

“Yeah, yes,” Jim breathed, during that, at some point he’d lowered himself to his knees as well, so they could be eye-to-eye, and he watched as Tony slid the gold band over his ring finger, and pulled his new financé in for a kiss. They do that for a while, until they’ve laid down on their sides, facing one another, Jim sitting up on his elbow watching as Tony kisses his ring finger, his knuckles. He wants to save this moment forever. 

“I love you,” he says to Tony. Forever, always, with my entire being, he doesn’t say, he hopes he’s gotten his message across, though. He hopes Tony knows. 

  
  
  


Tony stares at him, smiles and says, “Jim,” in Pepper’s voice. Then suddenly he

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  


wakes up to Pepper softly shaking his shoulder like, “Jim? Wake up, we’re making breakfast—“

—and he’s trying to catch his breath, blinking away the remnants of Tony, but Jim can still smell Tony all around him, he can still feel the impressions of Tony’s hands in his chest, his hands, his hip, ghost of stubble prickling his cheeks, and he can’t help but shudder. He’s not there anymore, he’s not with Tony anymore. 

Pepper moves forward from her seat on the floor and holds out some tissue as she asks him if he’s alright. 

All Jim can really do is let out a small “Tony,” before his throat closes up, and he’s trying to take deep breaths to calm himself down, and Pepper murmurs, “Aw, Rhodey,” and holds his hands as they ride out his sobs, sitting close enough to offer a hug if needed but far enough that he can breathe. With Pepper, he allows himself to crumple under the weight of Tony’s absence. 

He can’t wear his ring on his finger anymore, not after a poorly timed anxiety attack two weeks after the service. Now, it sits on a chain around his neck that feels like an anvil on his chest right now, when he sits up and away, his hand finds the band under his shirt and he holds it loosely. Pepper’s lips purse as she watches him do it, her own eyes watering. 

“C’mon,” She says, standing up from her place on the floor. “Let’s make some pancakes. And I’m positive that the couch is not helping your back.” She’s right, and his back twinges as he gets up to follow her to the kitchen where Happy was. The Stark family can’t miss good breakfast, Jim thinks, no matter the problem. 

  
  


It’s a comfort, being with the two of them, people can share the feeling of it. Tony being gone. Jim is grateful for them. He’s shared things with Happy and Pepper for decades, almost as long as Tony. They know him like the back of their hands, they’re a unit. 

  
  
  


“Hey,” Happy says to the two of them later on, wiping syrup off of his chin, “we’ll be alright.” He sounds confident, like none of them are avoiding looking at the empty chair that sits in front of Jim. Like Jim isn’t picking at his food due to the knot in his stomach. Even so, Pepper seconds Happy’s statement, and they turn to look at him. 

Jim looks back at them, he doesn’t know when he’ll be okay, no time soon. He knows that it’ll come with time, and with the two of them, he can feel that they’ll get through this. He smiles. 

  
  


“Yeah, we will.”

**Author's Note:**

> this isn’t the BEST but i finished it!! so i’m proud of that :) i hope you enjoyed


End file.
